Firing apparatus for moored torpedoes.



'G. E. ELIA. FIRING APBARATUS FOR MOORBD TORPEDOES.

Patented Apr. '7, 19M

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

APPLICATION FILED JULYQ, 1918.

INVENTOR Gz'auanaz .57 rd ATTORNEYS WITNESSES G. E. ELIA. FIRING APPARATUS FOR, MGORBD' TORPEDOES.

APPLICATION ,PILED Jump, 191a."

= Patgnted Apr. 7, 1914 a snnnws snnm AM 2 w y ,1 VENTOR G. E. ELIA. I FIRING APPARATUS FOR MOORED TORPEDOES.

APPLICATION FILED JULYS, 1913. I I

Patented Apr. 7, 19M

3 SHEETS-SHBET 3.

WIN/E8858 ,Nmvm I 5/? Giovanni E2154;

ATTORNEYS I so To all 'wlz om 'itmayj copes mt.

Ems," stmgtd et theKingof-Italy, and aresident of- Rome, any; ihaveinvented a new "5 and. Improved Fi'ringApparatus for =Moore'd :TOIPedQeS, bf j Wlnchfthe' following-is a full,

clear, and'esact description. '1 i This "matron relates to a-firijng a sratusij especially"adapted 'forj moored torA pedoes (01*claims-cram spherical 'or .cylin dri'cal type, and the? firing mechanism. relies for fits actuation uponthe well known fact that,agspherical 'or' cylindrical torpedo acquires .r'otativefinotio'nfrom a vessel coming f i Jcbn i ti ere ith.

p rox 'ide'i a reliable and 'eifective'firing' apparatus of. the type referred to which is comparatively simpleand inexpensive-to manur gime and so designed as to provide for a maximum d g Y e of safety in the handling of the-torpedo as inl lnooring it in or removing',it fr mthe water} v i a further object of the invention is the 'pljov'isionof firing mechanism that includes an: inertia ,or resistance device which tends togiriaintainfits' position when the tor pedd or minefis' rotated by contact'wit-hthe ,ves s 1,; [so "that thisf; relative movement liei p ham1nerto be released; whereby the' charge'of 'theftorpedofis exploded. a 'A no'ther biect' oi the invention is the profYlSlQIll 'ffa' novel efiective'locking means whereby islet] ertiadeviceang' bodyof'tl'ie torpedo is pre- 1 torpedo is not'moored vent as 1 1 Qllj anchored I a A furtherbb'iect of" the invention is the provision-eta t pedo having a cap and fuse forliefiring mechanism" and a charge for t] torp edorea' 'lyf removable and insertible, t1a t1 separt can be kept separate from gthe torpedoes wh v the latter are carried in the .plantingor moo-ring vessel and need .only

' i Vi w, 'imtl j others as r 0f "C when 4 after/and'setl forthwith particu claims-appended hereto.

rity: in the In the accompanying drawings, which i'illustrate one embodiment of the invention,

'llhe invent on'hasforits'general objects to twee the device torpedo causes a firing.

, 31?)Pll9d to 'the' torped'olwhen thelatter isthe description;proceeds,= the war be "inoreffullydescribed herein- I AiPlJXRA'lI ISFORQiMOORZEiTTORPEDbES.

A I Specificatlonof Letters Patent-" iil atented Apr. 17,1914. 1: .ApplicationifiledIu1y 5, r913, Streetw se,

fem'ployed'to designate corresponding parts throughouttheseveral views, Figure 1 lsa central verticalpsectionof the torpedo with the'firing.mechanisra;inv elevation. Fig. 2 is: an enlarged sectional-view of the firing mechanism-showing thefiring pin or ham mer set or in cocked position; vFig. 3 is a top plan view ofrthe.firinginechanism with the inertia or resistanceeleinent removed; and Fig.4 is a horizontal section on the line H of Fig.2.

" Referring to the "drawing, A designates the body of the torpedo,--which may be spherical, cylindrical .or, any other shape the body A isa firing mechanism 13 which is controlled by aninertia or resistance device C. The torpedo ormine' A is moored by meansof an anchor cable 1 which passes through a guide pulley 2 at-the bottom of thetorpedo, and the upper end of the cable isfastened to a locking bolt operating means D which enables the inertia device C to be moored and ,tension is ,maintained on the anchor cable 1' by thebuoyancy of the torpedo.

' The firing mechanism B is mounted in a horizontal cr0ss-section,-, contains a horizontalcylinder or guide 4 in which is slidably mounted a firing pin or hammer 5, said'pin consisting. of a piston slidably engaging the cylinder-4, and a stem 7 slidable in an opening '8 formed inagcap or head 9 which closes {the outer end of the firing pin cylinder-fl. Between thehpiston 6 and cap 9 is a springvlOflwhich is under compression .1 A T thereby g thelgdetonator =10", that 111 turn he fuse or preliminary explo- 16, such device lfiand cap ,si ve 11817108 belng a unitary element \VlHCll 1S mscrl'ible ing grazed by. the-hull of a vessel, and on rendered operative as long as the torpedo is whenthe firing pin is in set position.- The a which. will acquire a' rotative motion by becasingB fastened to the top of the torpedo v A.. The casing v3, which is rectangular in i I in turn fires the charge in the container 24,

in' an opening 17 in oneside of the firing mechanism casing 3.. The device 16 has a removable cover 18 for permitting the preliminary charge to be supplied, and entrance of water s prevented by a gasket 19. A: gasket 20 is also provided betweenthe flange 21 and the ring 22 into which the device .16

is threaded. When the explosion takes place in' the device 16," the detonato'r. 23 inthe torpedo s exploded by influence, which and thereby the ignition ,of the main charge 251s efl'ected. This main charge surrounds :the container 24, which latter extends dia- 15 I consist of fulminate ofmercury, the device 16 contains dry gun cotton, and the devices 24 and 25 contain wet gun cotton.

The rotation of the firing pin controlling wheel orelement 13 is brought about by the inertia or resistance'device C, which is so designed that it tends to remain stationary ,while the torpedo as a whole rotates. This device C may be constructed in a variety of ways and suitably located with respect to the torpedo body. In the present instance it is in the form of an approximately tangentially extending arm or lever 27 which has on its outer end a tail or vane 28, while its inner end is formed into ahead 29 which has a non-circular opening 30 to fit the non-circular upper extremity 31 of a vertical shaft 32 which extends into the casing 3 through a stufiin box 33. On the inner portion of this shat is a pinion 34 which meshes with a large gear wheel 35 that is fastened to a shaft 36 which in turn carries a small pinion 37 the latter meshing with gear teeth 38 on the wheel 13. By reason of this construction the shaft 32 remains substantially sta- .tionary because the resistance device C prevents rotation while the torpedo A 'rotates, and this relative rotation causes the wheel 13 to rotate and release the firing pm when the torpedo has made a predetermined number of revolutions. ,To permit access to the gear chamber the top 40 of the casing 3 is removable, and between the top 40 and the flange 41 of the casing 3 is a packing or gasket 42 which is compressed by the tightening of the bolts 43 that hold the top 40 in place. The stuffing box 33 is carr ed by the top 40, as is also an internal bearlng 44 for the upper end of the shaft 36, there being a bearing 45 in the casing for the lower end of the shaft 36. In order to prevent breakage of the resistance device 0 the shank thereof or that portion between the tall 28 and head 29 is or may be a coded spring of suitable rigidity. To restrain the resistance device 0 against movement by the current of the water or the surfan easily broken constraining device, such as a wire 46, is con: nected with the shank 27- of the device C and w th a suitable part of the torpedo, such as the ring 47. This element 46 will break when the body of the torpedo rotates by coming into contact with a vessel, since the resistance offered by the device 0 is greaterthan the tensile strength of the Wire 46. Upon wlthdrawlng the torpedo from the vice C be locked against movement, and for this purpose a locking bolt 48 is provided to engage in a recess 49 in the flange 50 of water it is desirable that the resistance dethe head 29 of the device 0, the bolt being movably mounted on a fixed part of the torpedo, as for instance, the bolt 48' is carried by a pivot 51 on the casing 50 of the bolt operating device D. This-device D comprises'a pistonor plunger 52 slidable in the casing 50 and'having rising therefrom a pair of lugs or cars 53 between which. the intermediate portion of ,the swinging bolt or catch 48 is disposed, there being a pin 54 pivotally connecting the catch 48 with the lugs 53. The slidable'element 52 is formed with a hollow stem 55 which receives the enlargement 56 on the end of the anchor cable 1, and into this hollow stem is screwed a plug 57 which has an opening 58 for receiving the anchor cable 1. The casing 50 has a cylindrical guide 59. in which the stem 55 has a sliding fit, and surrounding the guide is a spring 60 which has its upper end engaging the piston 52 and its lower end engaging the web.61 that'fconnects the guide 59 with the casing 50. By this arrangement the spring 60 is hous d in a practically water tight chamber. T e pull on the anchor cable, due to the biioyancy of the torpedo,

holds thepiston 52 d wnwardly against the tension ofthe sprin 60, and consequently thelocking bolt or catch 48 is disengaged from the head 29 of the resistance device C, but as soon as the draft on the anchor cable is removed,aswhen the torpedo is being Withdrawn fromthe water, the spring 60 comes into play and raises the piston 52, which 1n turn throws the'free end of the locking bolt vice C should not the recess 49 be in registry with the locking bolt. As shown in Fig. 2, there is a guide pulley .63 in the bottom of the casing 50 for the anchor cable 1. such anchor cable passing into the casing 50 through an opening, 64. It is tobe understood that in the mooring of the torpedo the locking bolt 48 will be automatically retracted or released. i

20 said resistance device being held-in its posiings, the advantages of the construction and method of operation and of the apparatus shown will be readily understood by those,

skilled in the art to which the invention appertains, and while I have described the principle of operation, together with the apparatus which I now consider-to be the best embodiment thereof, Idesire to have it understood that the apparatus shown is merely illustrative, and that such changes,

may be made when desired as-are within the scope of the appended ClitlIllS.-

Having thus described my invention, I claim as'new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1.; The combination with a torpedo adapted to be rotated by contact with a vessel, of a resistance device carried by the torpedo,

tion by the resistance of the water during the rotation of the torpedo, and means actuated by the movementof the torpedo with respect to the resistanceelement for exploding' the torpedo.

2, The combination with a. torpedo adapted tO- be rotated by contact with a vessel, of

a resistance device carried by the torpedo, said resistance dcvicebeing held in its posi- -tion by the resistance of the Water during the rotation of the torpedo, means actuated by the movement of the torpedo with respect to the resistance element for exploding the torpedo, said incans comprising a normally locked firing pin, and means for re leasing the firing pin.

The combination of a torpedo of the class described, a firing mechanism therefor, a resistance device tending to remain in its initial position 'while the torpedo moves by contact with a vessel, and means controlled by the relative movement of the said device and torpedo for actuating the firing mechanism.

4. The combination of a torpedo, a firing mechanism therefor, a resistance device connected with the torpedo and adapted to remain substantially stationary while the torpedo moves by contact with a vessel, means for permitting thefiring mechanism to operate att-cr a pret'letern'iincd relative movement of the torpedo and device, a locking means for the said device, and an anchor element for the torpedo operatively connected with the said means to release the latter from the device when the torpedo is moored.

5. The combination of a torpedo adapted to be moored in a body of water and to be rotated by contact with a vessel, firing mechanism for exploding the torpedo, said tiring mechanism including a firing pin, a resistance element carried 'by the torpedo and shaped to oppose movement through the Water during the rotation of the torpedo,

. hammer set and adapted to trom by the relative movemeut .o t the sa d; res1stance dev1ce nd tb1'-p'cd o.

, and a gearing between the resistance element 7 and the firing pin and adapted' tobebpbrated by the rotative movement of theterpcoo wlthrcspcct to the resistance clement 6.5The combinationof torpedo, a resistance element, a" connection"betweenthe element and torpedo for ieriiiitlin'g the nu;-

ter vto turn by contact with 'a've scl while a firing mechanism including. means for i *ing the hamnu stroke, and. lcvice norn ,l

7. The combination of a torpedo, adiring mechanism therefor. including a" ln'innucr,

an anchoring means forpern'iitting tl' c' tor-j pedo to rotate on an appiifmimatcly vertical 3X15, a resistance device extending trans;

versely to the axis. of rotation of the torpedo,

a connection between the resistance*devicm and torpedo for pcrmitting' .ihc latter to turn while the resistance 7 device rep 1 a ins si 1 l ist a n' tially stationary, a catch for holding the hammer in set position, and a gearing between the said resistance device and torpedo for causing the catch to move out of engages ment with the hammer when the torpedo has revolved to a prcdeternpned extent.

8. The combination of a. torpedo, a tiring mechanism, a casing on the torpedo inclusingsaid mechanism, said meclmnism including a hammer, a shaft extending into the casing, a catch operativcly connected with the shai't'and arranged t) hold the hammer in stlt positipn, and a redistance device connected with the shaitwuid having a blade the element remains substai'itially stationary,

whereby the said device tcuds to remain stationary while the torpedo is rotated.

t). The combination. of a torpedo, a liring mechanism including a hammcr;a casing inclosing the firing mechanisnna shaft extend-- ing into the casing, a stufiing box around theshaft, a catch for holding the hammer in set position, a train of gears opcrativel y con.-

-'nccted with the shaft and on one of which gears the catch is mounted, and a resistance device disposed externally of the torpedo and casing and connected with the shaft -for holding the same relatively stationary while the torpedo turns. whereby the said hammer is finally released. a V

10. The combination of a torpedo, a firing mechanism, resistance device opposed to movement, through the water with thetorpedo as the latter is turned by contact with the vessel, a locking bolt carried by the torpedo and adapted to engage said device for holding the same against n'iovement, an an chor element. for the torpedo, and means between the anchor able and said locking bolt -for holding the latter retracted as long as the buoyancy of the cable maintains the anchor element taut and for throwing the. lock- 'ing bolt into engagement with the resistance device when the tension of the anchor cable .is removed.

, locking bolt connected with the element and held normally released fromthe'anchor device and adapted to move into engagement with the device when the tension on the anchor cable is removed.

12. The combination of a torpedo moored to revolve by contact with a vessel, a' device tending to remain stationary while the torpedo revolves, a firing mechanism for the= torpedo controlled by the said device, and a breakable element between the said device and torpedo for restrainingthe latter against relative movement of the torpedo and device by water currents and the like.

13. The combinationvof a torpedo moored to rotate by contact with a moving vessel, a

device on the torpedo tending to remain stationary as the torpedo rotates, anda firing mechanism controlled by said device, said device comprising a flexible arm and a blade carried thereby.-

14. The-combination of a torpedo, a firing mechanism including a preliminary charge and a hammer for igniting the same, a firing charge in the torpedo ignited by the pre liminary charge, said charges being remov able intact from' the 'said'mechanism and I torpedo respectively, and a resistance device for controllin said firing mechanism. In testimony W ereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

GIOVANNI EMANUELE' .ELIA. Witnesses:

GEORGE W. BAQHELLEB, J r., Rosa HARDWICK. 

